1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of flower handling, and more particularly, to a flower trimming and packing system for floral bouquets.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The process of mass producing floral bouquets for sale at a supermarket or the like can be an expensive and labor intensive process. In general, bouquet components must first be sorted, grouped according to desired characteristics, arranged in a desired bouquet configuration, packaged, and shipped to a desired location. Often, flowers are initially sorted and bundled at a location remote from a bouquet distributing center, which prepares and transports the flowers to retailers or wholesalers. Methods have been developed for automating the sorting and bundling of flowers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,899 depicts a method and apparatus for sorting and bundling flowers, which sorts flowers individually, bundles the flowers, cuts the stems of the flowers, and moves the bundles via a conveyor. Another system and method set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/457,629 allows a user to arrange floral elements in a desired array to produce twisted floral bouquets in large quantities, which may then be shipped to a retailer or distribution center. However, such methods are concerned with the initial grouping of flowers, and do not address downstream processing of floral bundles or bouquets.
It is well established that cut flowers can become dehydrated between the time they are cut and the time they are delivered to a wholesaler or retailer for sale. Wholesalers and retailers may attempt to counter this shipping related dehydration by re-cutting the stressed flowers upon arrival to remove part of the stem so that the stem can resume drawing water. However, floral bundles or bouquets may be heavily stressed by the time a retailer gets the bundles or bouquets. Further, manually cutting the bundles or bouquets can be a labor intensive process that introduces further damage to the floral elements. Therefore, there is seen to be a need in the art for a flower handling system and method that allows large quantities of floral bundles or bouquets to be kept fresh through delivery to a wholesaler or retailer.